Does Your Cat Climb The Christmas Tree? Here’s A Solution

Thanksgiving is now in our rearview mirrors, and as we look forward to Christmas, odds are you may be thinking about putting up your tree.

OK, you can stop laughing. No, really.

CG hiding in my mom’s Christmas tree.

I know, I know, for many of us, Christmas trees are simply huge cat toys. As I’ve learned in the last few days, it’s CG’s most favorite toy in the world. No kidding — he’s been acting very kitten-ish around it. It’s bizarre and adorable. But did I mention I don’t want him electrocuting himself or tipping it over?

Seems I’m not the only one living with this predicament, and fortunately for the rest of us, Patty has found a solution that may help with some of that. Here’s her story:

“I don’t know if any of your other readers have problems with their kitties and their Christmas trees being toppled over, but Spaz has a thing about the tree, and he tries to climb it. It is bad enough for a normal cat to try to climb the tree, but I would come home and find the tree laying on its side at least once a week. I have found a solution for the problem and I have not had the problem since.

You know the outside glass tables with the shade umbrella that the pole goes through the center of the table and into a cement disc stand? The cement base for the shade umbrella is the perfect size for an artificial tree. It keeps the tree standing with all of Spaz’s attempts to climb it. This also works great for normal cats as well. I have found a lot more joy in the Christmas season being able to have a tree and to keep my tree and decorations intact and standing.

I was so afraid that I would find Spaz pined under the fallen tree and injured in some way that I didn’t put one up for a couple years. I was on a mission to make it work for me and my cat, I got a brainstorm when I noticed the stand for my shade umbrella sitting under the glass table. I have been using this technique ever since.”

Thanks for sharing, Patty! Other readers, do you have other tips and tricks when it comes to cat-proofing your Christmas? Please share in the comments!

Related

Mimosa doesn’t climb it, but she likes to hide under it, try and eat the tree, swat the ornaments off and rip and pull off the tree skirt. All of these are annoying but I can live with them. The harder part is stopping her from drinking the water in the tree stand! We get a real tree v. fake and although she has two water bowls, she thinks the tree’s water is her own personal water dish. We have this fight with her every year! I wouldn’t mind as much if my husband didn’t insist on putting tree chemicals of some nature into the water to keep it “fresh”. Luckily we keep her upstairs during the day while we are gone, away from the tree, but we have to watch her like a hawk 24-7 when she is downstairs at night or on the weekends. I’d love to know if any one else has this issue!

Does anyone have a CH cat (or non-CH cat) that eats tinsel? My Smudge loves it and is invariably sick afterwards. How can we stop him eating it? He just pulls it off the tree. I have never had another cat do this before.

Hi Lesley,
Tinsel isn’t poisonous to cats, but it can be very harmful if they ingest it. It can not only make them sick, but it can also get caught in their intestinal tract and cause severe problems. My recommendation would be to simply not use tinsel around cats. While it’s beautiful, it may not be worth the potential risk.